The present invention generally relates to a method and apparatus for controlling a slicing machine. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for monitoring the placement of cards beneath drafts of a food product, such as bacon, which have been processed by a slicing machine.
In the preparation of food products for consumer markets, such as the processing of pork bellies into packaged bacon strips, the processing and packaging of the food products is carried out cyclically. During each cycle, a front or feed conveyor transports an unsliced food product, such as a pork belly, to a slicing device. At the slicing device, or slicer, a predetermined number of slices, known as a draft, are removed from the unsliced food product and grouped onto a discharge conveyor.
The group of slices can be arranged in an overlapping or shingling manner on the discharge conveyor by moving the discharge conveyor beneath the slicer at a relatively constant speed as the unsliced food product is cut. Alternatively, as slices are removed from the unsliced food product, they may be grouped into stacks by stopping the discharge conveyor during the slicing of each draft. The predetermined number of slices may also be laid flat next to one another on the discharge conveyor by increasing the speed of this conveyor relative to the speed used to obtain a shingled arrangement.
After a draft has been sliced, the slicing operation is momentarily interrupted while at the same time, the speed of the discharge conveyor is momentarily increased. By this operation, each draft is quickly carried away from the slicer before slicing of the next draft is initiated. Thus, a space will be provided between the drafts as they are placed onto the discharge conveyor.
The sliced drafts are then transported from the discharge conveyor to a front conveyor of a card dispenser machine, which places a card beneath each draft of the sliced food product. The cards to be dispensed are placed in a magazine reservoir by the machine operator. As the card dispenser cyclically dispenses a card, a draft of the food product is moved from the front conveyor of the card dispenser into placement on the card.
After passing through the card dispenser, the sliced drafts are processed by additional material handling equipment located downstream of the card dispenser. For example, because the drafts are typically sold by weight, they are transported by a rear conveyor from the card dispenser to a check weighing machine. Bacon, for example, is typically sold in one pound packages. Drafts of the sliced product which are deemed over or under weight at the check weighing machine are diverted by an alternate conveyor, known as a reject conveyor, to a make weight conveyor whereby an operator can manually add or delete slices so as to bring the draft into weight conformity.
Drafts of the sliced product which have been deemed to conform to the desired weight or which have been compensated to conform to the desired weight are finally routed to a packaging machine. Here, the drafts are wrapped and prepared for distribution.
In processing and packaging the drafts of a sliced product such as bacon, it is important that the card dispenser machine dispense a card for each draft. Occasionally however, the operator may accidentally permit the magazine reservoir to become empty. Alternatively, a card or cards may become jammed during dispensing or transfer, and not be placed under a draft of bacon. When a card is not properly dispensed and placed beneath a draft, the drafts can become disarranged and possibly clog portions of the material handling equipment located downstream of the card dispenser. Furthermore, disarranged drafts of the sliced product which must be recarded may have to be downgraded, thus prohibiting their sale as highest grade. It is therefore important for the machine operator to know quickly that cards are not properly dispensed so that corrective action may be taken.
Thus, a need exists in the prior art for a slicing machine control system which will provide an indication to the operator when a card has not been properly dispensed beneath a sliced draft.